Eyewitness to Horse Assault Did Not Get a Chance to Speak at Pre-Trial

Marian Wegiel, accused of sexually assaulting his neighbor's horse, last Thursday when Judge Burton Kaplan granted him accelerated rehabilitation.

Accelerated Rehabilitation is a special form of probation given to first-time offenders resulting in the dismissal of the charges as long as certain conditions are met.

Though Kaplan said he had the opportunity to read a statement from Alison Flannery, eyewitness to the crime, and that her letter was added to the case records, Flannery herself was not given the opportunity to address the court.

"Who's around to talk about it? Not the horse, which is why we should have heard from the horse's owners today," said Priscilla Feral, President of Friends of Animals, a Darien-based nonprofit organization.

Flannery said she was disappointed she was not able to read her letter publicly, while Wegiel and his attorney Ralph Crozier were both allowed to address the courtroom. Flannery gave Patch a copy of her statement, which reads as follows:

"Your Honour,

Thank you for letting me speak today. My name is Alison Flannery. I am the eyewitness of this case.

I know you already know the details of what happened in this crime, so I will not go into that today.

I wanted to speak today because last March, in court, Mr. Crozier stated that his client was out of town when the police revisited my home on Nov. 3. I know this to be a lie. Mr. Wegiel and his wife were out of town from Oct. 21 to Oct. 31 in South Carolina, at their timeshare with Disney. I know the dates and details because Mrs. Wegiel had asked me to feed their cats while they were gone and had told me the exact dates of their timeshare, which were non-negotiable. I saw them return to their home on Oct. 31, three days before my family had noticed someone had again trespassed on our property.

My family also mentioned a second date after Nov. 3 where someone was suspected to have been in the woods behind our home. Though none of us could pinpoint that date, Mr. Crozier affirmed that, whenever it was, his client was out of town. I find it remarkable that Mr. Crozier can assure us that on any given date of suspicious happenings, his client is out of town.

Mr. Crozier has also lied about his client not committing the crime, which he did in front of me and admitted to police. He has lied about his client not speaking English, which the police and myself heard him speak fluently and without hesitation. He also lied about us giving his client permission to come onto our property, which none of us had ever done. The defense is based on lies.

On Nov. 3, my brother's first child was born. Instead of going to the hospital to visit, my family and I were taking pictures of evidence, talking to police, and buying security cameras at a store. For him to ruin this special day for us then deny he was even in the state, when he was, is a slap in the face.

Home is supposed to be a sanctuary from the world, and now my family and I live in a heightened sense of vulnerability. This man has not only hurt our horse, but robbed us of our peace of mind.

I am afraid if the court lets him go today with Accelerated Rehab, it will send the message to him that he can get away with anything as long as he lies and denies it. Sending Mr. Wegiel to trial will send him the message that what he did is not acceptable. It will also send the message to the rest of Connecticut that sexual abuse and animal abuse are not acceptable.

I hope this court sends the right message today.

Thank you."